Currently, Internet-based data can be widely scattered, resulting in large collections of Universal Record Locators (URLs) in browser bookmark lists. To assemble data stored at different URLs, the user of a Web browser must either: 1) display each URL""s Web data in a separate window, requested individually; 2) display each URL""s Web data in sequence in the same window; or 3) rely on the designers of specific Web pages to include at a single URL all the data the user wishes to assemble. Each of these methods is cumbersome, and forces the user to assemble the scattered data with manual operations. At present there is no method for automatically extracting information from numerous web pages and incorporating the extracted information in a personal web page.
The term xe2x80x98scriptxe2x80x99, as used here, refers to a sequence of statements in a programming language or procedural language, statements which, when carried out, accomplish some task or function in some system. A script may be created by a human being or a computer program; in the current context such a script is executed (i.e., its statements are carried out in their programmed order) within one or more interconnected computer systems.
The term xe2x80x98filter scriptxe2x80x99, as used here, refers to a script designed to select components of its inputs to be processed and produced as its outputs.
The term xe2x80x98search enginexe2x80x99, as used here, refers to any Website which provides for its users one or more text indices enabling the users to locate occurrences of specific text appearing in documents accessible on the World Wide Web.
The term xe2x80x98Web spiderxe2x80x99, as used here, refers to the automated software employed by the Web search engine sites to examine each Website on the World Wide Web and generate search-engine text indices for all significant terms made available for access by those Websites.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,506 (Kuzma)
The Kuzma patent describes the establishment and updating of a directory, stored on one server computer system, using input from users on other client systems. The flow of the information in the Kuzma invention is from the clients to the server, for inclusion in the server""s directory. It does not control raw data insertion to the user""s browsed pages, based on the user""s own definitions of filter scripts to obtain the data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,442 (Crater et al.)
The Crater patent does not cover a system where the user can dynamically define a process for gathering any data from any URL.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,951 (Lombardi)
The Lombardi patent does not grant the user any ability to define desired information.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for rapid and accurate assembly and use of dynamic data from widely-scattered Web pages, on a single template Web page of the user""s design. It solves the problem of the prior art and provides a method and apparatus for automatically extracting information from numerous web pages and incorporating the extracted information in a personal web page.
The invention may be embodied in the form of a computer, a method of operation of a computer, or a computer program product for generating a filter script to locate and retrieve variable data from one or more Internet sites. The invention uses memory in a computer for storing a document such as a personal web page template. A computer browser may hold a program that executes features of the invention. The browser locates key pages on the Internet. Portions of the pages are highlighted. The highlighting provides filter scripts. When the browser is operated in accordance with the invention, it locates the previously identified web pages and extracts data from the previously highlighted portions. The highlighted portions are then automatically inserted into the stored template.
As a method, the invention marks a reference point at a chosen Internet site such as a page on the World Wide Web. It stores the address of the page and a reference location on the page that is proximate to desired data. The program generates and stores a label corresponding to the desired data. When the program is later activated, it searches the Web for the stored pages, accesses the site with the stored site address and marked reference point and retrieves the targeted data at the site corresponding to the stored label.